Rotary engine.



F. CARTER.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1, 1914.

1,105,617. atented Aug. 4, 1914 2 8HEETB-8HEBT 1.

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F. CARTER.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED Mum, 1914.

1,105,617. Patented Aug. 4, 1914.

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amocmtoi FCHRTEH atmmq FRED CARTER, OF LETCHER, SOUTH DAKOTA.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 4, 1914.

Application filed March 7, 1914. Serial No. 823,202.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED CARTER, citizen of the United States, residing at Letcher, in the county of Sanborn and State of South Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Rotary Engines, of which t e following is a specification, refcrence being had to the accompanying draws This invention relates to an lmproved rotary engine and more particularly to that type of this class of engines in which opposed cylinders are caused to rotate to turn a power shaft through the medium of pistons, and rods connecting the same to an eccentric wrist pin.

The primary object of the present invention is to generally improve and simplify the construction of rotary engines of the above type and to obtain a maximum of power from a minimum consumption of steam or other fuel.

The invention has for another important object to provide a rotary engine wherein the parts are very compactly arranged so that the engine will occupy but little room.

The invention has for another object to eliminate excessive friction in the operation of rotary engines and also dispense with the necessity of providing valves which are a constant annoyance and result in considerable leakage of the steam or other actuating fluid.

My invention has for a further object to produce a rotary engine which is very durable in its construction, positive and ellicient in practical operation and may be produced at comparatively small cost.

With the above and other objects in view as will become apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain constructions, combinations and arrangements of the parts that I shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a rotary engine constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment of my invention; Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2; Fig. 1 is a section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Referring in detail to the drawings, 5 indicates a band or fly wheel to which the ends of a diametrically extending bar 6 are suitably secured. Upon the ends ofthis bar, cyllnders 7 are mounted and also rigidly secured to the :fly wheel. The bar (3 has centrally fixed thereto a laterally extending Y bearing sleeve 8 provided upon its end with a collar 9. This collar is connected by means of the exhaust pipes 10 to the inner ends of the cylinder 7. A rod or shaft 11 is mountcd in the bearin sleeve 8, one end of said rod being securely iixed upon the plate or other stationary support indicated at 12. This rod is provided with a shoulder 13 for engagement with the collar 9 to prevent longitudinal movement of said rod in one direction. Upon the other end of the sleeve 8, the disk 14; is fixed, and this disk is provided with the eccentric wrist pin 15. Pistons 16 are adapted to reciprocate in the cylinders 7 and the piston rods 17 have their ends pivotally connected to the wrist pin 15. The bar (3 is preferably provided with additional bracing arms 18 which extend at right angles thereto and are secured at their outer ends to the fly wheel 5. A supporting rod 19 is fixed at one of its ends to the plate 12 and extends over the fly wheel 5, and then dowinvardly upon the opposite side thereof, the end of said rod being disposed in line with the axis of said wheel. In this latter end of the rod, the supply pipe for the steam or other actuating fluid indicated at 20 is rotatably mounted, and is adapted to be connected in any suitable manner to the source of steam supply. Upon this pipe between the end of the su )porting rod 15) and the disk 14, a hub or sleeve 21 is loosely mounted. To diametrically opposite points of this hub or sleeve, the steam supply pipes 22 for the cylinders 7 are connected, said pipes communicating with the bore of the sleeve. The supply pipe 20 is provided with an opening 23 with which the openings in the sleeve 21 to which the pipes 22 are connected are adapted to register.

In the operation of the engine, the operator turns the supply pipe 20 in the end of the rod 19 by means of a lever 21 which is connected to said pipe by the rod 25 so as to register the opening 23 in said rod with one of the cylinder supply pipes 22. The steam is supplied to the outer end of said cylinder to drive the piston inwardly, and it will be obvious that as the rod of said piston is connected to the stationary wrist pin 15, the reciprocating movement of the piston is converted by centrifugal force into a rotary movement which is transmitted to the fly wheel 5. The inner end of each of the cylinders .7 is provided with an exhaust port indicated at 26, to which the end of one of the exhaust pipes 10- is connected. When one piston has completed its stroke, which is equivalent to one-half of a revolution of the fly wheel, and the steam is exhausted from the cylinder, stean is admitted through the other of the pipes 22 to the opposite cylinder which operates in the, same manner to continue the rotation of the fly wheel. In this manner, it will be understood. that a very high speed of operation of the engine can be maintained with a minimum con sumption of fuel, and as no valves of any character whatever are necessary in the constrn'ction of the engine, leakage of the actuating fluid is entirely obviated. It is of course apparent that with slight structural alterations, the engine may also be adapted for the use oi gas or other actuating fluid.

By means of my particular construction anuarrangeinent of the parts, and the compact manner in which they are assembled, it will be appreciated. that the engine may be contained in a very small space, which tea} ture in many instances will be found of prime importance. It is of course obvious that the cylinders may be of various sizes, in

accordance with the diameter of the fly or band wheel and the power to be generated by the engine.

The invention is also susceptible or many other minor modifications in the form, proportions and arrangement of the several structural elements and I therefore reserve the privilege of resorting to all such legitimate modifications as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

In a rotary engine, the combination of a stationary shaft, a fly wheel including a rim sleeve and provided with a wrist pin, rods 5 connected to the respective pistons and to said wrist pin, a collar secured upon the other end of said sleeve and provided with an exhaust port, exhaust pipes connecting the inner ends of said cylinders to said collar, a stationary rod extending over the'fly wheel and having a vertically disposed end portion, a supply pipe rotatably mounted in the end portion of said rod, a sleeve loosely mounted upon said supply pipe, conducting pipes connected to opposite sides of said sleeve and to the outer ends of the respective cylinders, said supply pipe being. provided with an opening with which the ends of said conducting pipes alternately register in the rotation of the fly wheel to supply the actu ating fluid to said piston cylinders, and means mounted upon said vertical rod and connected to the supply pipe whereby the same may be manually rotated, and the fluid su )ply to the cylinders established or cut otl at the will of the operator.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FRED CARTER.

Witnesses A. R. WARD, G. C. GORDRY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Eatents,

Washington, D. G. 

